A dialogue titled “Youth-Led Dialogue: Strengthening Landslide Anticipatory Action through Research” was held under the “Child-Centered Anticipatory Action for Better Preparedness of Communities and Local institutions in Northern and Coastal Areas of Bangladesh” initiative implemented by Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), supported by Save the Children and funded by German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO).
Under this project, three students from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Chittagong participated in a research fellowship on “Landslide Susceptibility Mapping” and “Developing Local Level Trigger Threshold” under the supervision of Professor Dr. Iqbal Sarwar. The dialogue was organized to make the research activities practical and enriched by gathering opinions from experts and people from various professions.
At the beginning of the dialogue, Ms. Nasim Banu, Director (Social Development) of YPSA, delivered the welcome speech. Sanzida Akter, Project Manager of YPSA, described the project concept and research objectives. Dr. Iqbal Sarwar and Research Fellow Jannatul Ferdos presented presentations on their research.
Participants in the discussion included Engineer Delwar Hossain Majumdar, former President of the Institute of Engineers Bangladesh, Chittagong Chapter; Dr. Taj Sultana, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong; Dr. Sadika Sultana, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Premier University; Nasrin Akhter, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies; Assistant Professor Shahjalal Mishuk and Sourav Das, Chittagong University of Science and Technology; prominent meteorologist Ujjal Kanti Pal; Kishwar Jahan, Lecturer, Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Chittagong; Dr. Prabal Barua; Saiful Islam, Head Teacher, Firozshah Colony City Corporation High School; Soumen Banerjee, Head Teacher, Lalkhan Bazar Shahid Nagar City Corporation Girls’ High School; Royan Jannat, Panel Chairman and UP Member, Pukuria Union, Banshkhali Upazila; Md. Delwar Hossain, Union Parishad Member, Sadhanpur Union; Mujibur Rahman, CCC Ward Secretary; Tofayel Ahmed; Kalyan Barua, Reporter, Daily Azadi, Banshkhali Upazila; and Umme Humayra Saika Afsar, Member, Chittagong University Hill Protection Club and Youth Platform, among others. The dialogue was moderated by Morshed Hasan, Research and Monitoring Expert, YPSA, and Muhammad Ataul Hakim, Project Officer.
While presenting the research findings, Dr. Iqbal Sarwar highlighted the general concept of landslides, the history of landslide damage in Bangladesh, the role of disaster management and anticipatory action, the assessment of landslide risk and damage using technological methods, landslide prevention measures, and pre-disaster preparedness steps. He reported that 736 people have lost their lives in landslides in Bangladesh from 1970 to 2024. Last year, 24 people died due to landslides in Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. Most of the fatalities occurred in the Chittagong region due to the soft and sandy soil characteristics. The sandy soil of the hills becomes weak and collapses with rainfall. He stated that landslides are a regular occurrence in this region due to natural and man-made causes. Man-made causes include hill cutting and deforestation, weak drainage systems, unplanned settlements, road construction, and agriculture. To mitigate landslide damage, the speakers emphasized reducing human settlements from the hills, stopping deforestation, and creating public awareness for natural forest conservation, which can establish a truly sustainable region.
